Police Chief James Sheppard talks to those in attendance at the monthly Jefferson Avenue Business Association meeting in December at Trinity Emmanuel Presbyterian Church on Shelter Street.

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At the end of his first year as Rochester's police chief, Jim Sheppard was riding a wave of admiration from his colleagues, community members and even critics - and the lowest crime figures in the past 25 years.

And while his second year in office has been spotted with embarrassing departmental missteps, a prolonged spike in shootings, a growing concern over rank-and-file morale and occasional harsh attacks from his critics, Sheppard's detractors remain relatively silent.